Cafe kitchens are one of the biggest home trends of 2024 – and it works in even the smallest, rental kitchen

Bring the cafe experience home with you

A white kitchen with a coffee station
(Image credit: Howdens)

We all have our favourite cafe, loved for its atmosphere, look and taste or quality of coffee and accompanying pastries. And it turns out that the obsession with cafes and coffee culture has become so prominent that the cafe kitchens home decor trend is set to be huge in 2024.

Recreating the look and feel of a coffee shop in our own kitchen, however small, is indeed going to be one of the biggest kitchen trend of the upcoming year. 

This year, we already got a taste of this trend in smaller doses with kitchen coffee stations and the cafe curtains trend popping up on our radar. But according to the Pinterest Predicts trend report for 2024 published earlier this month, ‘cafécore’ will be taking over our entire kitchens in the new year as searches for ‘coffee station decor’  rises by +145% and ‘cafe aesthetic’ is up by +820%.

deVOL kitchen with light pink walls and cafe curtains on windows

(Image credit: deVOL)

Cafe kitchens home decor trend

It seems that 2024 will be the year of the kitchen as decorating this often forgotten, utilitarian room of the house is getting a lot of love. First we learned about the maximalist ‘kitschens’ trend and now we're here to introduce cafécore.

‘Cafécore is about bringing the coffee shop aesthetic into the home – think breakfast cupboards, chalkboards and curated coffee bar styling,’ explains Al Bruce, founder of Olive & Barr

‘It has the aim of creating a warm, welcoming space reminiscent of your favourite coffee shop, this trend is focused on upgrading your at-home coffee experience and embracing the elements that will allow you to do so.’

The great thing about this trend is that it doesn’t discriminate between different sizes of kitchens and whether yours is a rental or not, so you can recreate the cafe kitchen look in any home. Here's how...

Fisher & Paykel Built-in Coffee Maker in the home of Victoria Summer Case Study

(Image credit: Fisher & Paykel)

1. Add a coffee machine

Start with the cafe-level coffee-making essentials. No cafe can function properly without its best coffee machine. So we recommend investing in one if you are a lover of a good cup of coffee. It will also make for the perfect centrepiece to your cafe kitchen.

‘My advice for homeowners who want to recreate the warming and cosy experience of a cafe at home, is to ensure they invest in a quality and statement coffee machine - chrome always works well,’ says Simon Ribchester, head of design at Beams.

Whether it’s the best bean-to-cup coffee machine or a pod machine that you prefer the most, anything goes.

Simon Ribchester
Simon Ribchester

Simon Ribchester brings years of design expertise to the Beams team, having successfully navigated the ever-evolving landscape of design. He brings his relentless passion for innovation and a keen eye for aesthetics to all his work at Beams.

2. Use the cafe colour palette

A set dinner table in a dining room with beige limewash walls

(Image credit: Mango Home)

When selecting your new kitchen colour scheme, why not opt for shades inspired by coffee and incorporate the cafe kitchen look that way.

‘Consider coffee-inspired colours as a colour palette, latte beiges, creamy off whites and natural wood tones will enhance the overall cosy and calming ambiance of the area,’ Simon suggests.

While this can manifest in the paint on the walls or colour of your cupboards, there are also smaller changes you can make to incorporate these shades if the budget doesn’t allow for the bigger ones, or if you live in a rental. 

Add accessories such as the cafe curtains and tea towels in the same palette or if you have your dining table in the kitchen, you can add cushions and a tablecloth in those shades too.

3. Embrace open shelving

Dualit kitchen coffee station

(Image credit: Dualit)

‘Finally, consider adding open shelves above the coffee station for a stylish way to display your favourite mugs, coffees, and everything in between,’ Simon advises. 

But make the displayed selection as curated as possible to avoid a cluttered look. ‘Avoid overcrowding the shelves with unnecessary items to avoid it becoming visually distracting,’ he adds.

This is where you can put your favourite coffee cups and mugs, alongside your ground coffee, flavoured syrups and decorative items such as a cafe chalkboard.

We can’t wait for this cosy and wholesome trend to truly explode in the new year. Now, who's for a flat white?

Sara Hesikova
Content Editor

Sara Hesikova has been a Content Editor at Ideal Home since June 2024, starting at the title as a News Writer in July 2023. Sara brings the Ideal Home’s readership features and news stories from the world of homes and interiors, as well as trend-led pieces, shopping round-ups and more, focusing on all things room decor, specialising in living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, home offices and dining rooms. Graduating from London College of Fashion with a bachelor’s degree in fashion journalism in 2016, she got her start in niche fashion and lifestyle magazines like Glass and Alvar as a writer and editor before making the leap into interiors, working with the likes of 91 Magazine and copywriting for luxury bed linen brand Yves Delorme among others. She feels that fashion and interiors are intrinsically connected – if someone puts an effort into what they wear, they most likely also care about what they surround themselves with.